Wolf Like Instincts
by The Band Geek Alchemist
Summary: Post TP, Link returns to Ordon to find it destroyed. Zelda hears of this and invites him to stay at the castle. Link accepts the offer. The only problem is that despite the Twilight being gone, Link can still change into a wolf and does so every new moon. He has also retained his wolf like senses and behaviors. This creates some VERY awkward situations. Zelda is also more chipper.
1. Chapter 1

WARNING: THIS HAS AN ALTERED ENDING TO THE GAME! (this is basically how I wouild have liked the game to end, meaning no Ilia!) Also, please exuse any game related mistakes, I have not actually played Twilight Princess but I am reading Stephonika Kaye's novelization of it. (P.S. she(?) is amazing!) Any game related mistakes are either accidental or purposely made to fit my story. Feel free to correct them though!

So the basis of this story is that somehow, even thought the Twilight is gone, Link can still transform into a wolf and he has retained his wolf instincts and abilities. This however can create some... awkward situations. Throughout the novelization, it is mentioned that Link still has the senses of a wolf even when he is a human.

DISCLAIMER: If I owned The Legend of Zelda franchise, there would be waaay more Zelink in it. So obviously I don't own Zelda. :(

Link and Zelda remained at the mirror for a while after Midna was gone. They had stood there for hours watching in silence But the sun was barely in the sky now, casting a faint orange glow across the land. "I can't believe she's gone." Link said, breaking their silence at last. "She was such a good friend."

Zelda nodded in agreement, "It's okay, Link. We'll both miss her greatly." Zelda consoled. She gently grabbed his left hand, stroking the mark of the Triforce, as they turned and walked back towards Epona. Upon reaching the auburn colored mare, Link hopped on and offered the princess his hand. She jumped up as well and heasitantly put her delicate hands around his waist.

They rode in solem silence back to the charred remains of Hyrule castle until Zelda spoke up. "Do you have a place to stay anymore, Link?" she asked unsure of how accepting the people of Ordon would be to him.

Link met her periwinkle eyes firmly. "Don't worry about me,Princess. I still have my old house in Ordon. Besides Princess, shouldn't you be the one worrying about where to stay from now on?" his eyebrows were knitted together, giving him a concerned look.

"Not really, my family has a small cottage near Lake Hiliya. We used to stay there in the summer when I was little." She replied, fondly remembering those times when her parents were more concerned about her happiness and less concerned about suitors or her taking the throne. Especially now. All her father was concerned about now was marrying her off so she could become queen.

When they finally reached the castle's remains, it was pitch black outside with only a feew stars to light the way. Link helped Zelda off the horse. "Wow, it sure has gotten dark." Zelda stated. "Link you should stay with us tonight. It'll be morning by the time you reach Ordon and our cottage isn't too far from here. I'm sure my father would allow it, and he'd probably like to get to know you, the famed hero as well."

"Uhh…" he said heasitantly, not wanting to intrude on the private lif e of the Princess. "I guess so."

"Great!" she replied happily. Link had never seen her so enthusiastic before. "Come let's go find my father." she grabbed Epona's reins in one hand and Link's wrist in the other as she dragged them away.

* * *

The king of Hyrule was sitting on the other side of the charred remains of the once lively castle after escaping his cell in the dungeon. His face was contorted in a combination of fear, sadness and worry for his daughter. Had she been caught in the castle when it had exploded? What would he do without an heir to the throne? Even worse, how would he live without her? She gave his life purpose and joy. He suddenly heard two sets of light footsteps and the heavy clomp of a horse behind him. He immediately spun around to find his daughter walking hand in hand with a blonde man about her height, maybe even a little bit shorter. In her other hand was the reins to a beautiful auburn mare with a white mane and black accents on her fur.

"Zelda!" her father cried, running over to her. "I was so worried! What happened? I couldn't find you after the castle blew up! Are you hurt?" he rushed out all at once while tightly squeezing his precious daughter.

"I'm fine, dad. Don't worry anymore." She reassured him, returning the embrace.

Link backed up awkwardly, not wanting to intrude on their reunion. He couldn't help but notice how his senses seemed to be stronger than they were before the whole twilight ordeal. They were still more wolf like. He could see perfectly even though night had long since fallen and the world around him was pitch black. His sense of smell was also much stronger. Link found he could somehow smell the tears coming from the two next to him. However, he dismissed the thought as Zelda split away from her father and introduced him.

"Father, this is Link. He is the Chosen Hero who ridded the world of the Twilight." She said. "And Link, this is my father, King of Hyrule."

"It is a great honor to meet you, your highness." Link greeted respectfully while kneeling on his left knee.

The king smiled warmly and said, "Don't be so uptight Hero Link. I should be the one kneeling before you. Seeing what you've done to save our country." Link stood up slowly but still kept his head to the ground. "Come now boy, no reason to be ashamed. Please, it would be I and Zelda's honor to host you tonight. You shall come to the cottage with us." He said dragging him and Epona to the carriage he had been sitting next to.

The king hitched Epona to the carriage with another horse and took a seat up front to drive. "Zelda, you and your friend may ride in the back if you wish."

She nodded, "Yes father." She opened the door and stepped in, gesturing for Link to do the same. He stepped in, placed his sword an shield on the floor then quietly took a seat across from Zelda. Seeing him sit down, she got up and moved next to him.

"Yes Princess?" he asked.

"Oh , nothing. I just wanted a shoulder to lean on." She said with a small smile and leaned her head on his carriage moved forward with a start and they both grasped the seat for dear life as it went over a rock. After the rough start though, the rest of the ride was quite peaceful. Zelda ended up falling asleep quickly to the gentle rocking motion of the carriage. Link watched silently as her eyelids slowly fluttered closed. This made him realize how tired he really was. Being the Chosen Hero had prevented him from getting much sleep these past few weeks. It seemed that his lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with him. He sighed and leaned his head against the side of the carriage, also rocked to sleep by the carriage's motion.

Thanks for reading! I'll try and update soon! ^_^ By the way, can someone tell me what a brony is? O.O


	2. Chapter 2

I'd like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favorited ect. this story! A special thank you to **EquadorRose**, SheDevil333, **Captain Rodriguez** and **Guest** for letting me know what a Brony is. The reason I asked was because some guy accepted my friend request on Facebook and posted "Bronies unite! XD" on my wall, I don't even know why. That is just creepy though. I didn't even like My Little Pony as a child yet there are **teenage guys** that watch it! That's just wrong!

DISCLAIMER: Legend of Zelda is owned by Nintendo!

* * *

In no time at all, they had reached the cottage. Zelda's father stepped down from the front seat and walked to the door to let out the other two. Upon opening the door to the carriage, he saw the two teens leaning on each other fast asleep. A smile lit up his face for the second time that night. Had his daughter finally fallen in love? He gently shook their shoulders to wake them. "We're here." He said. It was just like when Zelda was little and the whole family would come here. Zelda would always end up falling asleep by the time they arrived.

They sat up groggily, a blush creeping its way onto each of their faces after being caught in such positions. They crawled out of the carriage and went into the cottage."Zelda, I assume you know where your old room is." Zelda nodded and trudged down the hallway. "Link," the king said, waving a hand in front of the blonde's face to get his attention. "Link, you may stay in the guest room just follow Zelda and it's to the right of her room." He walked down the hall after Zelda. Link flopped onto the bed as soon as he entered the room, not even bothering to take off his shoes, and was fast asleep.

That night, Link fell into a restless sleep. He was dreaming of being a wolf again. At times it was a pleasant dream of running through endless fields of grass, or chasing small animals. However, it soon twisted itself into a nightmare plagued with fighting monsters, Gannon and Zant. He hated having to fight in his wolf form though, it made him feel weak and restrained. Midna's nagging didn't make him feel any better either.

When Link awoke the next morning, the sun was blazing in through the open window. He sat up slowly and looked around. If he could find a way out, he could leave without Zelda realizing it. He could spare her yet another goodbye. Link practically jumped out of bed when he saw Zelda and her Father standing around him. "Are you feeling alright Link?" Zelda asked, putting a hand to his forehead. "You've got a slight fever and last night you were making weird noises and kicking. It's almost like when my old dog would have dreams at night, she did the same thing." She gestured to the blankets that had been tossed to the floor.

"Maybe we should send for a doctor." Zelda's father said.

Link's eyes widened in fear, not the doctor, anything but that. Maybe he would need to escape after all. The window was always an option. He froze in terror at the next statement though.

"More like the vet." Zelda said somewhat sarcastically.

"Why the vet?" her father asked.

Link began to tremble_. Please let them not be serious, let this just be some kind of strange joke. _He pleaded mentally as if someone could actually hear his thoughts. He couldn't remember the last time he had feared any kind of medical help though. In fact the various cuts he had gained from his journey could probably use some attention. _Perhaps a doctor wouldn't be such a bad idea after all, _he mused. Another part of his mind begged to differ though. _Oh no. Doctors are always evil. They give shots, check your temperature and touch you strangely. _Link then began to shake violently over this strange new fear.

"Link, Link!" Zelda cried trying to get him to snap out of his trance. She grabbed his shoulders to hold him still. She couldn't help but notice the distant look in his crystal blue eyes. _What_ _was wrong with him? _She thought._ He has never been so skittish before. _"Father," she said, "please send someone, quickly!"

"Yes, of course." He replied eyeing his daughter's strange friend and rushing out of the room.

As soon as her father had left the room, Zelda once again began trying to get him to settle down. After several failed attempts to restrain him, she thought of something that might be more effective. She remembered that she had always kept a dog whistle in her room. It was used to keep her old dog Bear from going into the lake when her family used to come here. Bear would always sneak out and swim in the lake but she could never find her way back to the shore. Then someone would have to swim out to get her, getting their self soaked in the process, until her father got a whistle.

Zelda left for a moment to go back to her room. The whistle was still hanging on the back of her door. _This will do the trick,_ she thought. When she got back to the guest room, Link was still shaking. _Good, it would work better this way, _she thought to herself. She snuck into the room without him detecting her, and gently blew the whistle. Zelda instantly felt guilty about this though, while she only heard an airy sound it must have been a lot worse for Link. He immediately froze upon hearing the pitch and then cringed. "Geez, Zelda! Keep it down over there!" he shouted covering his ears from the sharp sound.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your ears."

Link shook his head, "I'm alright, Princess. There's nothing to worry about."

She sighed, "Link you woke up this morning with a fever after spending the night whimpering like a dog and kicking your arms and legs around. My father asked if we should send a doctor and you had some kind of crazy meltdown. I don't think your okay!"

Link was silent, his head hung in embarrassment. Zelda moved to sit next to him. She gently took his hand in both of hers and gave him a small smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell either." They sat in silence for a moment, each pondering the morning's events when it occurred to Zelda what might be happening. The Twilight might have been long gone, but what if Link was still a wolf? She wasn't too knowledgeable with the technicalities of genetics, but perhaps his first encounter with the Twilight had altered his genes, making his wolf form forever a part of him? If this were the case then it would definitely explain his behavior lately. "Link, you haven't been feeling strange lately, have you?" she questioned.

Link hesitated for a moment before answering, he wasn't sure why he should hide anything from the princess, but this was kind of embarrassing. "Actually, I kind of have been, my senses have been a lot more like they were when I was a wolf. The only difference is that back then, they were only this strong if I was actually in wolf form." He then had the same idea that Zelda did. Had the wolf part of him remained even without the Twilight? "Do you think I can still turn into a wolf?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I do think that's possible." She said with a sigh.

Link nodded, "That _would _explain this." He agreed. Ever since he was dragged into this "Chosen Hero" mess, his life had been far from normal. He was ripped from his happy life as a farm hand and forced to rescue friends and save a vast country he had never even seen, from evil. On top of that everyone he knew was transformed into spirits while he was changed into a wolf. He wished he could just go back in time and avoid it all but when he really thought about it, it hadn't been all bad. He'd met Zelda through all of this, as well as other nice people.

"Link," Zelda broke his train of thought, " My father did send for a doctor though. I hope you don't mind, we thought you could use it." She gestured at his numerous cuts and bruises from his journey. "Now what is it that makes doctors so scary?" she inquired, rather confused about his new fear.

* * *

Why is Link afraid of the doctor/vet? Stay tuned to find out!

Sorry, tried to update this yesterday but my computer was running like a snail and wouldn't upload the file in a decent amount of time. :(

If anyone gets the chance, read **Guns and Roses** by **Irelandgal131**! It's a refreshing AU Legend of Zelda fanfic, western style. The plot is very original and it has a neat ending, so READ IT! You'll be glad you did! ^_^

Also, happy Fourth of July/Independence Day to those who celebrate it! :)


	3. Chapter 3

I'm once again, sorry for being late! I've felt like crap the past week or so and then I had a dentist appointment and they had to take off part of my braces to do something and put me on "happy gas" which made me feel even worse. One thing I learned though is that laughing gas is NOT funny. I felt like I couldn't breathe and felt like I was about to pass out.

On a happier note, went to the zoo with my family and made a Skyward Sword related discovery. So, it is a common known fact that the Loftwings are based off of the Shoebill Crane, but what about the Remlits? In the night creatures exhibit, I saw a Rat-Eared Fox and it looked exactly like a Remlit! GRRKS, and see for yourself! They are soooo cute! Also, marching band has started practices again and all of this week I'm day camp counseling and I still have tons of summer homework to do. Bleh! Why oh why did I sign up for honors English next year? I also had a brain spark for a one shot and just had to write it down!

Vestasam568,

Sorry! I didn't mean to offend you but this guy keeps posting these creepy Brony Memes. Also, after some research into this My Little Pony fandom, I found some rather disturbing yuri images. Thankfully your friends only watch the show. Oh well, I guess like with any other fandom there are bound to be weirdoes who feel the need to make it inappropriate. There_ are_ some pretty creepy Zelink images floating around out there. Anyways, I'm sorry.

PLEASE READ: Some of Link's behaviors will be kind of dog like too :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own this!

Link thought hard. Why _was_ he afraid of the doctor? "You know, I'm not really sure anymore. It's like some other part of my mind just took control of both me and my thoughts. I think it had something to do with shots and checking temperature though."

"Hmm." Zelda frowned. "My dog always hated the vet too. Being afraid because of shots makes sense, nobody likes them but what's wrong with them checking your temperature?" she then remembered, her dog had hated that too. "Link, do you know how they check a dog's temperature?" wondering if he was aware. If so, that could explain a lot.

"Um, yeah."

Zelda could only nod. "I think that the wolf part of you has been taking over your thoughts and actions more than it used to. That's the only way to explain this." At that moment her father returned knocking on the door.

"Zelda! Is he alright? I brought a doctor just in case." Her father said.

"In terms of what happened earlier, he is fine but he's pretty beat up still." She replied, leaving the room and heading to her own.

Link watched as both Zelda and her father left the room, leaving him alone with his greatest fear. "So," the creepy doctor began, "I hear you have a fever?" he asked just to be sure. "As well as several puncture wounds and possibly fractured ribs. What have you been doing boy saving Hyrule or something?" he joked while stroking his long beard.

Link nodded shyly, "Um yeah, actually."

The other man gave him a questioning look. "Well, I guess the king wasn't lying about meeting the Chosen Hero. Now let me see about this fever." He said, reaching into his bag and pulling out a thermometer.

Link's eyes bugged out and he began to feel dizzy. With each step the other man took towards him, the worse it got. Finally it was too much. He blacked out.

Meanwhile Zelda's father had taken her aside to talk. "So what was this about a vet earlier?" he wondered.

Zelda realized her father didn't know of Link's other form. Should she tell him? It wasn't really her business to share, especially since Link found it to be highly embarrassing. "It's about something that happened to Link on his journey, you'll have to talk to him about it later." She said, deciding not to tell the whole story.

"You know, Zelda. I worry about him. Are you sure he'll be alright when he leaves? I mean his journey must have taken an extreme toll on him, both physically and mentally. With the way he's been acting today, I'm not so sure."

Zelda smiled and said, "He'll be alright father. Besides, he plans to go back to the Ordon providence; he still has a home and friends there."

"If you say so." He said, wearily. "At least offer to let him come back to the palace when it is rebuilt. I hear that reconstruction is already underway."

"I already have." She said remembering their ride from the previous day. Not only their conversation, but the way he had protectively held her to himself and inhaling his sent. It was a mix of earthy smells like pine, damp leaves and wood with just a slight hint of soap.

Her father was about to say something when the man came running in from the next room over. "Umm… sir, the boy just passed out."

Zelda responded, "I think that's for the better, just continue please." She smiled to herself; Link was so strange sometimes.

"That's why I worry about him Zelda." Her father said as soon as the doctor left.

"He'll be fine." Zelda replied with a sigh turning towards a book shelf to find a way to pass the time.

Several hours later, Link had come back from his unconscious state and was sitting under a tree with Zelda immersed in a game of chess. "What happened?" he asked moving his piece.

Zelda pondered her next move before saying, "You passed out. I was never told why, but I think it happened for the better."

Link nodded in agreement. "Check mate." He smirked, looking her in the eye.

She looked down at the board and noticed her piece was trapped. "Fine," she sighed, "I give up. How'd you get to be so good at chess?" she wondered, turning to face the crystal blue lake. It reminded her of Link's eyes

"I don't know. Maybe it's from all those dungeons and stuff." He replied, leaning back against the tree.

Zelda then thought of an idea, "Hey Link, you want to go swimming? It's certainly warm enough." She swore Link jumped a few feet off the ground when she mentioned swimming. Zelda could just imagine - had he been in his wolf form- his ears perked up and alert and tail waving back and forth excitedly. _Just like Bear, _she thought.

"Yes!" Link practically shouted. "I mean sure." He said, the tips of his ears reddening a bit.

They went back inside and headed to their rooms to change then met back outside again. Zelda came out last for she had trouble finding her swimming clothes but eventually found them. She quickly changed into a thin t-shirt and shorts, grabbed two towels, then headed back outside. On the way down the hall, her face began to redden at the thought of showing so much skin around Link. It was not a very proper thing to do, especially since she was the princess. She dismissed the thoughts, it was summer anyway what did it matter? Besides it's not like anyone else would see, and her father wouldn't care. He was away checking on the castle's reconstruction.

Zelda continued on outside to find Link standing under a tree, wearing nothing but a pair of short pants. He obviously had quite a bit of muscle hidden under the loose clothes he wore, to say the least. She blushed profusely at finding him like this and turned her face towards the ground.

Link looked up noticing that Zelda stood a few feet away and smiled at her. He felt his face heat up when he saw how little clothing she was wearing though. She was beautiful, her hair strewn about her shoulders, the sunlight giving it a hint of gold. Link brought his eyes to rest on her face, it was the only place he could look and still think straight. "Ready?" he asked.

Zelda looked up and found herself looking at a bare chest. Her face reddened even more and she looked to the ground. Link spoke making her gaze shoot to the safety of his face. He was perched on the large rock in front of her, making him about a foot taller. He smiled down at her, waiting for her to answer. "W-what?" she said flustered.

"I asked if you're ready to get in." he said. "Are you?" Link raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, yes." She replied and put the towels down under the tree.

Link hopped off the rock and followed Zelda. He waited for her to put their towels down then grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the edge of the boat dock. Once again, Zelda could just imagine his tail wagging.

They stood for a moment, just watching the waves dance across the surface. Then, Zelda thought of a mischievous idea. She snuck up behind Link while he was still looking at the water and tapped his left shoulder, before hiding on his right side. Link instinctively turned to the left to see who tapped him but didn't see anything. Zelda then tapped his right shoulder and hid. Link still looked for the suspect but gave up and was about to turn around again when Zelda gave him a good shove from behind.

He fell forward off the edge of the dock, letting out a surprised yelp and landed in the water with a big splash. A moment or so later he popped back up again with a playful scowl plastered across his face. Link shook the water out of his hair before speaking. "What was that for?" he yelled playfully.

Zelda stood there giggling, "I guess it's not that hard to spook a hero." She said while trying to stifle her laughter.

"Oh yeah," Link said with a smirk, "Let's see who laughs now!" he grabbed Zelda by her wrist and dragged her in. Zelda went under with a splash but Link didn't see her come up. He began to worry and looked around in panic, when he was splashed with water from behind.

"Got you, again." Zelda grinned.

… I actually do know someone who smells like Link does, (not to sound like a creeper) and to boot, he looked exactly like Link from Skyward Sword. I got to sit next to him the whole last semester of English. :) Okay… that just sounded creepy

Lol, just had to throw some Skyward Sword in there. It has the cutest romance line ever!

I have officially been listening to the Wind Waker theme for 5 hours now… it's been my background music while I work on summer homework and now this story. Man I need a life.

So, I've decided that Zelda's father needs an actual name besides "father". Any suggestions? Otherwise I'll just choose something stupid like Billy Bob Joe. So please just review with any ideas!

Toodles :D


	4. Chapter 4

Well, camp has been interesting so far…

Monday: I was given a bouquet of poison ivy and dandelions (spent an hour trying to clean the girl's hands off), tried to convince a girl that there were no grizzly bears in the latrine, tried to explain that not all snakes are poisonous (especially here in Ohio with a whopping three poisonous species) and that black rat snakes are completely harmless and also, that butterflies are not dangerous.

Tuesday: With a group of the leaders' boys (it's a Girl Scout camp), went creeking for practically the whole day, it pretty much was a slightly more civilized Lord of the Flies (no killing) and they even worship a craft foam hippo called The King of the Hippos

Wednesday: not much happened other then thunderstorms and reassuring girls they wouldn't blow away and/or die, tried to explain to a bunch of 2nd graders that they are not magnetic and saw a timber rattlesnake just chillin a few trees away from where I was standing and casually herded a group of clueless kids away from it (thankfully it didn't even see us)

Thursday: there was this adorable autistic girl and I was soooo happy when that the girls would include her in stuff and accepted her differences! :D and I was sadly the only one in the unit who knew how to cut a watermelon… not even the leaders could

Friday: water games day except it was barely even 70 degrees, despite efforts to stay dry I still got soaked

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN LEGEND OF ZELDA!

"Oh yeah? Take this!" Link shouted sending a wave of water towards Zelda, who ducked under at the last second. They went back and forth splashing each other for a little while before Link decided he wanted to actually swim. He had just started off to swim laps around the lake and had built up some good speed when Zelda floated over and cut him off. "Hey!" he sputtered through a mouthful of water. He had stopped swimming and tried to stand on the bottom which was just out of reach. Link Pushed up and began treading water.

Zelda giggled and Link furrowed his brow. "I was actually trying to swim you know." He said crossly.

She couldn't hold it any longer, Zelda burst out laughing "Link, you do realize how you were swimming, right?"

He gave her a confused look. "Link, you were dog paddling." She tried to say with a serious face. He just rolled his eyes and kept on swimming. Zelda swam up beside him, mimicking his stroke. "So Link, is this an effective way to swim?"

Link once more rolled his eyes in annoyance. "It got me through my quest." He pointed out, playfully splashing her with water. The two swam around a bit more then decided to get out. Zelda stepped out and stood on the small boat dock waiting for Link. He soon followed getting out and lowering himself down on all fours shaking rapidly to get all the water off.

"Really, Link." Zelda chided. Sometimes she thought about just considering him as a pet instead of a human friend. "There's towels for that." She sighed and tossed him one.

Link caught it in one hand, stood up and began to dry off his still dripping hair. As he looked up to flash Zelda a grin, he couldn't help but notice the way her soaked shirt clung to her body, showing off her curves. He smiled and saw Zelda's face turn red.

Zelda turned her face to the ground in embarrassment upon realizing how her wet clothes clung to her like a second skin. She blushed and wrapped a towel around her shoulders to cover up her form. Also, she noticed how Link looked strangely attractive with his dark blonde hair plastered to his face and neck.

Link walked over to a tree and sat down. He beckoned Zelda over too and she came over making sure she was still covered by her towel. "Wow, the sky's getting really dark." Link observed.

"We can't have been out here that long, right?" Zelda said.

"No, I think it's only a storm." He responded. As if on cue there was a flash of lightning and the rain began to fall lightly. The two teens looked at each other then began running for the cottage.

Once inside, they stood panting to catch their breath. "Well," Zelda mused, "That sure was ironic." Link let out a genuine laugh at her comment. She loved his laugh. It made everyone else want to laugh too, at the pure, happy sound. Both of them left to change into dry, clean clothes.

Shortly after Zelda had finished changing, Link knocked on her door. "Hey Zelda, may I come in?"

"Oh, sure." She responded rather embarrassed to have a boy in her room. Link came in carrying the chess board from earlier and saw her trying to hide a blush and failing miserably. He smirked to himself, knowing he could cause the princess to be so flustered.

"I brought the chess board," He said in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had passed between them. "Thought we could play some more." Zelda nodded and moved from her bed to sit across from him as they began another game.

"You know Zel, for having the Triforce of Wisdom, you aren't very wise when it comes to chess."Link laughed while capturing yet another one of her pieces. Zelda sighed and looked at her measly three pieces left while Link had a whopping twelve. She would never be good at this game, Zelda thought to herself and a few moves later, Link had beaten her for the billionth time that day.

They played several more games before Zelda realized that it was now early evening but her father wasn't home from the castle yet. Link noticed the worried look on her face. "What's wrong Zelda?" he asked.

"My father, he should be home by now." She replied.

"The storm probably just slowed him down a bit. Maybe a tree is blocking the road or it's too muddy. Nothing to worry about." He tried to reassure her. Zelda's father said that he would only be gone for an hour or two but he had been gone nearly all day. They suddenly heard a knock at the door causing them both to jump. Link stood up and walked over to the window to see who was there and let out a defensive growl. He went back to Zelda, who was also standing, and whispered in her ear, "Zelda, that's not your father. I'm not sure if they are dangerous or not so hide in one of the back rooms. I'll answer the door." She nodded in agreement and ran off.

Link grabbed his sword and inched closer to the door. He slowly twisted the knob and let the door creak open on its own and flattened himself against the wall so he would not be seen.

"Hello?" he heard the person ask.

Link jumped out from behind the wall with his sword poised to fight, "Who are you and what are you here for?" he growled before recognizing the other man's uniform. It was just the postman with his usual white clothing and giant red sign declaring his profession. The postman screamed and Link lowered his sword.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry to d-disturb y-you." The postman stuttered before regaining his composure. "Here, a letter from the King."

Link accepted the mail and called for Zelda. She came running and snatched the letter Link held out to her and immediately began to read it.

_Dearest Zelda,_

_I know by now you must be worried about me, and I am deeply sorry to worry you so. However I will be staying with a friend here in Castle Town for the night. The road home has been blocked by several trees that fell during the storm this afternoon. I trust that you and Link are able to stay at the cottage alone without any trouble and I shall see you tomorrow._

_Sincerely,_

_Your Father_

Zelda read the letter from her father aloud and began to write a letter back assuring him that she and Link would be okay without him there. Link just stood there, the tips of his ears burning under the questioning gaze of the postman. He then felt as if another part of his mind was speaking, _The postman is here! Yay!_ Link let out a playful growl without realizing it. Both Zelda and the postman looked up at Link from their previous tasks, their confused stares boring into him. _Why isn't he afraid of me? Am I not scary enough? _The voice spoke again and Link deepened the growl.

"Link!" Zelda shouted and smacked his arm. "Mind your manners!"

"Huh?" Link asked, snapping out of his trance.

"I said to mind your manners. You were growling at the postman." She repeated to Link. Zelda then turned back to the postman. "I'm very sorry sir. My friend here hasn't been feeling too well lately. I think it's making him a bit cranky." Link protested as she dragged him off into the sitting room and put him on a chair. "Stay here." She whispered in his ear.

Zelda walked back over to the door and handed the man her letter. "I am truly sorry about this whole mess. I'll go talk to him about it." With that, the postman wished her a good day and she closed the door.

From the other room, Link could hear her footsteps approaching and he tensed with every step. He was in for it this time. "What was that all about?" she shouted, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She seemed genuinely angry, an emotion Link had never seen her show before. Link immediately sank down with guilt. "You just embarrassed not only yourself, but me, my father and anyone else connected with the royal family!" she shouted and ran to her room.

Link figured it was best to just leave her alone and work off her emotions, besides that was what he always did. He went back into the library where they had previously been playing chess and cleaned up their half finished game. Link turned to one of the many bookshelves in the room to find some entertainment. He saw a book on wolves and flipped through it finding it a bit ironic that he was looking at it. He moved over to the soft leather armchair that sat in a corner and curled up. Link learned all sorts of things about his other form that he never knew before. His only knowledge of wolves was that they were evil, violent and ate livestock. In particular, Ordon goats like the ones he had helped to raise. The book showed him quite the opposite actually. They were really quite shy and only attacked livestock if they felt threatened.

He sat entranced by the book until he let out a big yawn and saw the time. It was eleven thirty at night and he would have to get up early the next day to leave for Ordon. He slowly walked back to his room and while passing Zelda's door, noticed her crying had subsided.

While Link had been enjoying his book, Zelda had been in her room crying. She never meant to come off so mean! It was just so embarrassing what he did that she shouted. No longer caring how improper she was being, Zelda cried herself to sleep.

Link entered his room and immediately curled up in a ball on his bed, falling asleep. He awoke about a half hour later with a throbbing headache. Sitting up, he rubbed his head and opened the window to let some fresh air in. Link sighed in relief as he inhaled the smell of decaying leaves and pure forest air. He turned his head up to the sky above and noticed there was a new moon and very few stars, strongly reminding him of the Twilight.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his back. The pain spread to his arms and legs and the pain in his head grew worse. He cringed upon hearing his limbs stretching and popping. Link couldn't believe it, he was changing again, even after he thought this whole mess was over. He heard the grandfather clock in the hallway strike twelve before he blacked out.

Muahaha! Cliff hanger!

Tried to upload this on Thursday when there actually was a new moon but my internet was out. :(

BTW: Zelda's father STILL needs a name! I've only gotten two suggestions so please continue to leave them!

Guest, I kind of like the name Leo, that's a pretty good idea! Thanks :D

Sarahhof, Uhh… thanks for leaving a suggestion but Babeshcananabananhuavis is kind of a mouth full to say/write. (Did I even spell that right?)What's its origin?

R & R! Goodbye for now!


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to all who have read and/or reviewed! It is deeply appreciated!

Lol, this chapter was so fun to write! XD Got the name Bear from a dog I actually know except he was a Maltese. I imagine the Bear in this story as a standard poodle (the biggest of the poodles) with dark brown fur. His appearance is partially inspired by my friend's dog and because I've always liked poodles, but have a Bichon instead. Bichons are similar to poodles though, and just as cute! :) Also, certain situations were inspired by my dog.

I DON'T OWN LOZ! Though I wish I did :'(

The old grandfather clock announced the time as being one thirty while Link gradually eased back into consciousness. The first thing he noticed was the headache from earlier was gone and that he was sprawled on the floor next to the bed. Looking at himself, he realized he was back to his wolf form that he thought vanished with the Twilight. He stood up slowly to prevent the usual wave of dizziness that followed a transformation but was unsuccessful. Link fell to the floor once more waiting it out.

The clock in the hall struck two before he felt well enough to stand. Link figured he ought to let Zelda know that her suspicions were true and that he could still transform. As embarrassing as this form was, he decided he would have to go next door and break the news to her.

Link quietly padded over to the door and realized he couldn't open it. He sat in defeat mentally cursing himself for forgetting wolves didn't have opposable thumbs. In Link's mind, that door knob was mocking him and his stupid paws. After several minutes of glaring at the door knob, an idea came to him. He grabbed his belt from a pile of clothes near the bed, stood on his hind legs and using his mouth, wrapped the belt around the knob. Link assured its tight hold then stepped back with one end held tightly in his mouth. He pulled and pulled until the door swung open.

He let out a toothy grin, feeling very proud of his accomplishments. While he may not have opposable thumbs, he had very strong jaw muscles and used them to show the door knob who was boss. Link walked down the hall and upon reaching Zelda's door, realized he was in the same predicament. This time it would be a bit easier, all Link needed to do was catch Zelda's attention and get her to open the door. Standing on his hind legs once more, Link pawed at the door listening to the scratching noise it made. He figured it was loud enough for her to notice and continued for a while.

Zelda awoke later to find she was still in her clothes from earlier and had fallen asleep with her lamp still on. She got up and pulled open her closet and found a night dress. It was her favorite shade of lavender and fell to her knees with the royal crest sewn in a darker shade along the edges. Zelda quickly changed and was about to hop back in bed when she heard a noise at her door. She froze in fear as the scratching continued. _Link, help! _She mentally screamed using the telepathic connection they shared, thanks to the Triforce pieces in their hands. Zelda received no response. _Link! There's something at my door! _

_Don't worry Zel, It's just me._ Link responded, silently apologizing for frightening her. Now he could just hope he didn't frighten her even more with his current form.

Zelda quickly tiptoed over to the door and upon opening it nearly fainted in shock. A large wolf with strange markings sat outside her bedroom door. Out of instinct, she shrieked and closed the door again. _Zelda! Open up please, it's me!_ Link told her earnestly. Zelda hesitantly eased the door back open. She looked at the wolf once more and took in the sight. It had strangely human looking eyes of cerulean and had the same dark blue loop earrings that Link wore, on the tips of its furry ears.

Zelda immediately plopped down on the floor next to him and embraced his now furry form. "I'm so sorry." She whispered into his ear

_It's fine Zelda._ He thought back. This had always been his least favorite part about being a wolf. Though he was usually a man of few words, he still liked to be able to speak when he had something to say. _Besides, I should be the one apologizing. I never meant to scare you like that._

"That's not what I meant, Link. What I meant is that I'm sorry this happened again." She said into his fur. "Here, come in and we can discuss this further." She said straightening up and closing the door.

As Zelda stood up, Link noticed once again, she was wearing little clothing. This made him hesitate slightly when she motioned for him to sit next to her on her bed. He swore that had he been human, his face and ears surely would have been a deep shade of red. Thankfully, wolves couldn't blush.

"Did you notice anything strange when this happened? Like the time of day or weather conditions. That might give us an idea of when it may happen again." Zelda said with a yawn.

Link jumped up next to her and laid down, his head between his paws in defeat. _I think it started around midnight, but I wasn't fully conscious again until a few minutes ago. _Link told her. _I also didn't- oh, that feels good keep scratching there. _Zelda had absentmindedly begun to scratch behind Link's ears. Just like she did to her old dog, only Bear had been a poodle, not a human stuck as a wolf.

"Uhh… okay." Zelda said slightly creeped out by his dog like state of mind, and attention span. "What were you saying again?" she asked.

_Oh, sorry,_ he thought _I was going to say that I didn't see the moon. Usually it's so bright at night, especially away from the city, but I didn't even see any stars._

"It must have been a new moon." She replied. "The world of the light is at its darkest. The Twilight Realm has greater power. That's probably why you shifted." Zelda sighed, "Well, I'm tired. Let's continue in the morning." She turned off the oil lamp on her nightstand and lay down.

Link jumped back to the floor and curled up tight, still frightened by how normal it felt. "Link, you can stay up here you know. Unless you prefer the floor." Zelda said from above. His ears perked up at the sound of her voice and he padded over to her bed. Link gave Zelda a questioning look, she nodded reassuring him it was okay. He once again hopped up onto the bed and curled up in Zelda's arms, gently licking her face before falling asleep.

At that moment, Zelda envied Link. He could just fall asleep so easily. She however couldn't get back to sleep. Zelda stroked his soft fur trying to calm her growing worries. If Link was a wolf again, did that mean that the Twilight Realm had begun to seep back into the world of the light? Were Gannon or Zant still out there, somehow trying to re-enter this world? She shuddered at the thought. But Link's sudden transformation could also have just been a simple occurrence with the moon, or lack thereof. Oh, how she prayed to the Goddesses that it was just because of the new moon. Neither she, nor Link could take the stress of another war. Zelda could see how much the previous war had affected him. Though he may not show it on the outside, his eyes had a distant look to them. The look of one who has seen great suffering, one who has killed and must carry the great burdens of putting lives at their mercy. Just that morning, her father had told her she was beginning to take on that look as well. Sometimes she wished she could have suffered in his place.

As sleep finally reached her she pulled Link closer, praying for the best.

Zelda awoke the next morning to a combination of bright morning sunshine and a large wet tongue. Link licked her cheek again and poked at it with his paw. "Morning Link." She said, sitting up and wiping off the saliva. Upon hearing her speak, Link moved closer and gave her one final lick. "Eww, seriously Link! That's enough!" She noticed his head drop to the mattress in shame and gave him an apologetic pat on his head. "I'm sorry Link; I didn't mean to get mad. It's just, I'm allergic to some dogs, and I don't want you licking me until I'm sure I won't break out with a rash. My old dog Bear, she was a poodle so she didn't shed and didn't bother me. But, I've never really been around wolves before. And the few times we met and you were like this, it wasn't long enough for anything to happen."

_Oh, I understand._ Link thought to her sadly. He strode out of her room and back to his own for some thinking time while Zelda changed. He found a nice sunny spot in the corner of the room a sat down. _Man that sun feels nice._ He thought to himself. Link decided his fur could use a nice grooming after sleeping on it all night and began to lick the tangles from his paws.

Zelda came in a few minutes later and joined him in his patch of sun. "Hey Link," she said with a smile, "Come with me and I'll make breakfast." Link got up and followed her to a small kitchen. "Umm, what would you like? I'm not quite sure what wolves eat."

_Don't worry about me Zel,_ Link thought, _just let me outside and I'll find something. _Zelda opened the kitchen door and let him outside. She watched as Link dashed outside happily wagging his tail and turned to make some cucco eggs for herself.

Link was so glad to be outside, he felt free, like nobody could restrain him now. He trotted through the woods for a little while, enjoying the breeze blowing through his thick fur. Soon he caught the scent of a rabbit nearby. He followed the trail until he got close enough to see it. Link crept along the ground, slowly stalking his prey. Once within a few feet, he jumped on it and grabbed it in his mouth.

Having had a successful hunt he chased after another one for Zelda. Link managed to catch another and then headed back to the cottage. Hunting had always been something he enjoyed as a wolf. It was something he was forced to do when he was stuck like this for several days at a time, though Midna never minded that much and just pretended not to see the gory parts. But it eventually grew on him. He let out a sigh, Zelda was right. His wolf instincts_ had_ been taking over a lot lately.

The cottage was now in sight as Link quickened his pace, eager to get back. He pranced up to the door and scratched it with a paw.

Zelda had just finished cooking some eggs when she heard a soft scratch at the back door. "It must be Link." She decided and went to the glass door. She watched him set something down next to himself and then he walked over to her and placed another brown shape at her feet. Link looked up at her with a proud look in his eyes. As Zelda gazed back at him, she noticed something on his muzzle. She dismissed it at first and turned her gaze further downward to the strange lump at her feet. The lump was covered in the same substance as Link's muzzle. Was that…? Oh yes, it most definitely was. Both the lump and Link's face were covered in blood.

Zelda let out a shriek and jumped back. "Link!" she scolded, "What did you do?"

_I brought you a rabbit, what does it look like?_ He thought sarcastically.

"Ugh, Link! That's beyond gross!" She said, completely exasperated by his behavior. Zelda wasn't usually faint of heart but he really didn't need to bring a dead, bloodied rabbit into the kitchen. "Please, just take it back outside."

_Okay,_ he thought, _I'm sorry. I thought you would be happy I brought you it, but I guess not. _With that, Link turned and walked back through the open door to enjoy his catch. He made an extra effort to dirty his paws and muzzle just to annoy Zelda. Once he was done, he went for a nice roll in the mud on the shore of the lake, because it felt good and to further get on her nerves.

Sigh, I once again apologize for my lateness, between band practice and cleaning up after a recent storm, I had hardly any time to write. :( Band camp starts tomorrow so I'm not sure how much I'll get done. However I am bringing my notebook to camp in case there's any downtime. I'll try and write it at camp then type when I get home. :)

PLEASE REVIEW!

Next chapter I plan to include Zelda's father's name so if you have any suggestions, REVIEW NOW!

See y'all later! :D


	6. Chapter 6

Hello again! I am severely sorry for my tardiness! Band camp really took away my energy, and by the time I got home, I still had to do chores, summer homework and math practice. I managed to get some writing done during that time but not much. This past Friday however, I was Rollerblading with my sister when a lovely rock got caught in my skates and I fell. Now I feel like I've been rolled over by a semi-truck and can't type well due to a sprained wrist ect.

Out of randomness, I threw in a tiny My Little Pony reference. If you understand it, then (sharp intake of breath) yay?! Yes all you Bronies or Pegasisters out there, I have watched My Little Pony at last! My friend brought her laptop to band camp just so she could make me watch it. It's actually a pretty good show… if you skip the cheesy opening song… it's one of those shows where you understand the humor a bit better when your older :)

Celestial Dragon (Guest) - I was actually planning something kind of like that, it just might be a few chapters and a several year time skip before it happens. Interesting way to word it though. LOL :)

I DON'T OWN LEGEND OF ZELDA! If I did, the characters would have epic voices and Link would actually kind of communicate!

Zelda perked up at the sound of Link scratching at the door. She strode over to find him covered in a combination of blood and mud from the lake, causing him to smell absolutely terrible. "Eww, Link what did you do now?" Zelda questioned while plugging her nose.

_What? I think it smells just fine._ Link said in defense. He began rolling around on his back, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of the mud between his fur, and the rather nice odor he now had.

Zelda glared at him. "Link, you smell like a wild anima -" she caught herself. Of course he smelled like a wild animal. He kind of was one at the moment. Link eyed her with a guilty expression. "Okay stay here a minute." She said and left the room. She strode down the hall and into the bathroom. Zelda started filling the bath tub with warm water; one of the nice luxuries of the cottage. Zelda then walked back to get Link. He was sitting on the rug near the door furiously scratching himself.

_Oh hey Zel. _He said. _I don't need a bath, really. Besides,_ he began rolling on his back, _It smells great! Though I could do without the itching._

"No way, Link! You smell terrible, and what will my father say if he comes home to find you like this? It's bad enough you're stuck like this but maybe he'll be more excepting if you're nice and clean." With that, Zelda grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him down the hall. Of course, Link had to put up a struggle. He began to kick his legs frantically and dig his claws into the rug that covered most of the floor, creating small patches of fraying cloth. Once down the hall, she heaved him into the water and held him down. Eventually he gave up his fighting and sighed.

_Fine._ He huffed. _I guess you can wash my fur. _

First, Zelda made sure his fur was thoroughly soaked and began to lather it with soap. Though it was specially formulated for dogs, she found the light clover scent quite pleasant.

_Why does this smell strangely like perfume Zelda?_ Link questioned suspiciously. He began to thrash around in an attempt to get the soap off.

"It's not perfume; it's a special soap for dogs. It also relieves itching and skin irritation." She corrected, reminiscing the time when Bear rolled in some poison joke. She was itchy for days until her father brought home the soap. Thankfully, it was still kept under the counter in the bathroom. "Now you just have to wait a moment while it soaks in."

The soap definitely had calmed Link down, just like it used to do to Bear. Zelda began stroking his back and humming to herself. It was a song she'd sometimes heard the wolves howl during the Twilight. It's calming melody often put her to sleep at night when she stayed up late with worry or stress.

Link soon joined in the song. _It's called Zelda's Lullaby._ he said. _Or at least that's what the other wolves started calling it after I sang it for the first time. I was thinking of you as I overlooked the castle and the song just flowed out of me._

"Time to rinse." Zelda said trying to get her mind off of the occurrences during the Twilight. She began pouring water over Link's fur and rubbing the soap out. When finished she pulled the plug out of the drain and stepped aside so Link could get out. He hopped out and shook hard to get as much water as possible out of his fur. In the process, Zelda got soaked. "Hey cut it out!" she cried.

Link immediately stopped his shaking. _Sorry, Zel. It's the only way I can dry myself off. _

"Not quite." She said grabbing a towel from a nearby cabinet. "You're only in the form of a wolf; your heart is still human." Zelda then added quietly, "Though you've definitely taken on the mindset of a wolf."

She carefully wrapped the towel around him and started to pat him dry. "What should we do today?" she asked when most of the water was gone.

_I'm not sure; I'd like to find some nice sunlight though. It'd help dry my fur and it feels so nice._ Link answered.

"That's fine with me. I really should catch up on my studies." She stood up and hung the towel from a hook to dry. "We can sit by the lake if you want."

Link nodded and followed Zelda to the small library. He watched as she scanned the books before picking out a few.

Link gave her a puzzled look upon reading the titles. _Advanced Alchemy, Hyrule Historia, A Guide to Learning Ancient Hylian Volume 3? What's this for Zelda?_ He had no idea where someone could find books like these, until now.

"They are for my studies." She replied. "Since the castle was destroyed, it's library and my belongings were all burned with it. Including my books and work. But that's no reason to stop studying. Thankfully there are copies of all but my math book here."

_Wow._ Link said with a look of amusement on his face.

Zelda sighed and left the room with Link trailing behind like a lost puppy. Although, he kind of was.

They made their way over to the lake, just like the previous day. Zelda sat down and Immediately began to read her books. Link lay down next to her and put his head in her lap. Without looking up from her reading, Zelda used one hand to stroke his damp fur. Whenever she stopped petting him to turn a page, he would look up at her with puppy dog eyes, begging for her to continue.

Zelda finally finished her studies for the day and set her last book aside. Link hadn't moved at all since she began reading so she continued to pet him. She spent several minutes looking at his wolf form, taking in all if the tiny details. The mysterious lightly colored markings and how they contrasted with the dark fur, how blue his eyes were and how they matched his earrings perfectly. "Link, why do you always wear these earrings?" she asked.

_It's sort of a coming of age thing back in Ordon. When I turned twelve, my parents gave them to me before they passed. _Link said sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry for asking."

_No, that's fine. I don't mind. It actually makes me kind of happy to talk about them._ Zelda saw the tears forming in his eyes. _The day I turned twelve, my father took me into Faron Woods to teach me how to use a bow. A short while later, when we were deep in the woods, he started to teach me. He said how I was such a quick learner and then a small group of bublins surrounded us. He took the bow from me and tried to shoot one of them but it was too late. One jumped out from behind us and killed him. _Zelda let out a gasp, imagining the horrid scene. She continued stroking his fur to comfort him; the tears were getting larger by the moment. _I ran back to the village with the bow but the bublins ran ahead of me and destroyed my home to get revenge on my father. My mother was inside when they came. _Link finished.

Zelda saw a tear slide down his cheek and gently wiped it off. "I'm sorry Link. I didn't mean to make you so sad." She said while hugging him and burying her face in his soft fur. "I understand how you feel though. My mother passed away when I was about that age too. She was giving birth to who would have been my younger brother." Link nuzzled her cheek as they comforted each other.

Link suddenly noticed a stick laying a few feet away. _It's the perfect size for playing fetch! _He thought. He got up and brought it back giving it to Zelda. She gave him a confused look, unsure as to why he just brought her a slobbery stick. _Throw it!_ He begged with his tongue hanging out. Zelda picked it up and chucked it hard, laughing as he pranced away to find it.

They spent most of the afternoon playing outside until Zelda spotted her father's carriage coming down the path. "Link! What do we do? He can't see you like this!" she panicked.

_I don't know. I guess we'll have to tell the truth. He said in an attempt to hide his fear too._

"Are you sure you're comfortable with that? I know how much this form embarrasses you."

_Uhh… I'd rather not let him know. But if it's the only way…_

"That's fine; I'll come up with something. Now quick! Go hide in the woods before he arrives!" she ushered him off and pretended to be reading.

Moments later, she heard heavy hoof beats and the rattling of the carriage. When it stopped, she put down her book s and ran to her father. "Your home!" she cried happily. "How are things going in Castle Town?"

"Just fine." He replied. "They were not affected by the explosion at all, Just quite shaken up. Where's your little friend?" he asked with a wag of his eye brows.

Zelda sighed, "It's not like that father. We really are just friends and he umm… isn't here right now. He uhh… something came up in Kakariko that he had to take care of and left this morning. He said he'll be back as soon as he can." Zelda sighed once more, only this time, it was in her head. She had never been a very good liar.

"Oh, that's too bad. I wanted a chance to get to know him better before he returned to Ordon." Her father said, a little disheartened.

"Don't worry, he said it shouldn't take too long." She said to reassure him. "Here, let me carry that." Zelda said taking her father's bags and following him into the cottage.

That night, Zelda made sure her father was fast asleep before crawling out of her window. Once on the ground again she tiptoed into the forest to find Link. Using their Triforce connection, she told him to meet her in the clearing closest to the edge of the woods.

Link arrived shortly after wagging his tail as he trotted towards her. _Zelda! Boy am I glad to see you. These woods are so lonely. _

"Hey." She said watching go limp when she scratched his neck. They walked back to Zelda's window and she lifted him up through it. She then climbed in after him and slipped off her boots. "Tired?" she asked and Link nodded. Zelda pushed the blankets back and lay down on her bed. Like the previous night, Link curled up beside her as they drifted off to sleep.

The clock struck one as Zelda woke up. She looked around the room thinking she heard a noise and saw Link lying next to her, back to his human form again. "Link!" she whispered excitedly, "Wake up!"

"Huh?" he mumbled groggily, sitting up.

"You're human again!" she said with a grin.

Link looked down at his hands a moment before absorbing what this meant. He was not going to be forever stuck as a wolf. He looked at Zelda with a huge grin and she- no matter how unladylike it was- threw herself at him pulling him into a tight embrace. She felt his face heat up as he hugged her back. Link smiled into Zelda's neck "I know."

It was quite a while before they broke apart and Zelda spoke up about Link's current state of dress, or lack thereof. "Umm, Link you uh, might want to put some clothes on if you are going to stay here."

Both of their faces instantly turned red upon her statement. "Oh, sorry. I forgot this happens when I change back. Close your eyes and I'll be right back." He said, feeling very embarrassed.

Zelda closed her eyes tightly like he said, not wanting to see more then she already had. When Link came back into the room, she asked "Are you decent now?"

"Yes." He responded. Zelda looked up, he was wearing tan pants and a thin white shirt; he also appeared to have brushed his usually unruly dark blonde hair.

"How's it feel to be back to normal again?" Zelda asked. She already knew the answer though. He was surrounded by an aura of happiness that could be felt miles away.

Link suddenly leaned in closer, pressing his lips gently against hers and putting his hands behind her neck. For a moment Zelda stood, her eyes wide with shock. She this had never happened to her before. Zelda closed her eyes and put her hands on Link's shoulders and kissed back. They both could feel the sparks caused by the others touch. Zelda tilted her head a bit to deepen the kiss, having no experience before she wasn't quite sure if this was write or not.

Link reluctantly pulled apart from Zelda and said, "It feels amazing." He noticed that Zelda looked a bit freaked out and did a mental facepalm._ I knew I shouldn't have rushed this._ He thought to himself with a grimace. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied. "Just shocked, that's all."

"Look, I'm sorry if I upset you."

Zelda sighed, "I'm not mad, I- I don't know why, but I feel kind of happy."

"Listen Zelda, I realize that I've only known you for a few months but," he let out a heavy sigh, "I think I've fallen in love with you." Link felt his face heat up but still looked her in the eye. "Throughout my journey, you were what kept me from giving up. Knowing you were in danger gave me extra incentive to save Hyrule, otherwise I would have just rescued the children and come home."

Zelda was speechless. She had feelings for him since they first met, but to discover that he returned those feelings was just unbelievable. Trying not to melt with his intensely blue eyes looking into her own, she spoke softly, "Link. I feel the same way. I knew that no matter what Ganon or Zant did to me you would put an end to them eventually and whenever they harmed me I just pictured you in my mind and knew it would be better soon."

"I'm sorry to tell you though Zel, but I am leaving tomorrow morning for Ordon." He pulled her into embrace when he saw the sadness on her face. "I didn't want to leave so soon, but I have to get the children home. Their parents must be worried sick and it's quite a long trip back. Plus I have a lot of obligations back in Ordon too. "

She hugged Link tighter and he stroked her hair softly. "We better get some rest then, especially with you leaving in the morning." With that, she laid down again and faced away from Link. He lay down next to her and put his arms around her, sensing that she was sad.

"Don't worry Zel," he said, using her nickname, "I'll write often and visit as soon as I can. I promise, cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cucco in my eye." He added to make her smile and he knew it worked because he could hear her muffled giggles. "G'night Zel." He said with a smile and gave in to sleep at last.

Yay first kiss of the story! :D I'm sorry if it kinda sucked, I've never really written anything like that and I'm like the most socially awkward person ever.

School has finally started and of course it is CRAZY! They rearranged the bell schedules so there are twenty minute lunch periods and everyone has a study hall. So each period, there are two study halls of at least one hundred fifty people each. Mine didn't even have enough seating for everyone! So much for quiet work time.

Well hopefully you all (if you are in school) have had a great start!

Listening to the weirdest thing ever right now, Dubstep remixes of Zelda songs. It gets to the point where it doesn't even sound like the original melody any more.

¡Adios! :D


	7. Sorry! Might not update for a while!

I deeply apologize for my recent nonexistence. Between all honors courses and 2 and a half hour marching band practices everyday as well as barely being home on weekends, I've had hardly any time to write. I now also apologize because I probably won't get around to posting anything until Christmas break because my parents have shut off the Wi-Fi on my I-pod and the laptop I use to post stuff. My parents promised to turn it back on over winter break though… if they are satisfied with our school work. They are mad at my brother because he isn't doing the greatest in school and blame it on him goofing off on the internet so now me and my sister are being punished too. However I have more time to write since marching season is over and already have another chapter for both The Hylia Era and Wolf like Instincts written and will probably have another written by the time I get to post again.

Once again, I am sorry and I probably won't get to update for a while but don't worry. I AM NOT GIVING UP MY STORIES! By the way, apparently this coming Thursday is I love to write day so I'll definitely be writing then! You should too! If you don't already write stories, use the holiday as inspiration to get started! :D


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to all who read and reviewed! It's deeply appreciated!

Finally got my new password for the computers at school! I will most definitely take advantage of this now! Umm… a bee just threw itself at my computer screen. (instant panicking) WHY ARE THERE BEES IN HERE?! Eww, the windowsill is covered in dead ones.

Zelda awoke the next morning to the sound of Link's light snoring. She tried to get up but was held down by his arms which had somehow wound themselves around her waist; her face immediately began to heat up. Zelda tried to lift them off without waking him but he only held tighter, she began blushing even more. Seeing as how he wouldn't let her go, she surrendered and fell back to sleep.

About an hour later, the sun had started peeking over the horizon and Zelda felt a light touch on her arm. Her eyes popped open a she sat up. Link was standing over her gazing down at her tousled hair. "Morning." He said with a hint of sadness to his voice. She was slightly confused until she noticed the bag slung over his shoulder. Link was leaving this morning.

~*~ (EWWWWWW, one of the bees just flew into the fan! = bug guts everywhere) ~*~

"Good morning to you too." She said before reaching up to hug him. "I'm really going to miss you Link." Zelda sighed.

Link returned the embrace. "I promised I'll write and visit as soon as I can." He said, "But I'll still miss you." He left the room to let Zelda change. While waiting in the hallway, he notice a family portrait hanging on the wall

The two walked down the hall to find Zelda's father sitting in his study. "Good morning father." she said with a smile.

Zelda's father nodded in response. "And a pleasant morning to both of you two." He turned to Link, "I'm afraid I didn't have much of a chance to get to know you earlier. I am King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule and Zelda's father, but you can just call me Daphnes."

"Hello, Your Ma- Daphnes." Link said with a bow, unsure how to handle the informality of the King.

"Now, I'd like to know a little more about you and how you met Zelda." Daphnes said.

Link replied, "I'm sorry sir but I must leave soon. I have obligations back at home."

The king looked slightly hurt, "Well, would you mind staying for a little bit?" Link shook his head "no" and took a seat next to Zelda and her father. "So, where are you from Hero?" her father asked.

"I came from the Ordon providence, it's south of here." Link said quietly.

Daphnes nodded again. "What was it like there?"

"Quiet I guess. Just like any other small town. I worked as a ranch hand herding goats." Link really wanted to just leave. The kids' parents must be getting pretty worried by now.

"And how did you meet my wonderful daughter?"

Link froze for a moment. Zelda's father wasn't exactly aware of his other form. "Umm… I was in the forest near my home and was transported to the castle somehow. When I woke up, I found myself with the Twilight Realm's princess Midna. She said Zelda needed to see me so I had to break into the tower where she was being kept." Link bit his lip in hopes her father would accept his answer.

"That was when I told him of what was going on, and his fate." Zelda added. "He had no idea what was happening."

King Daphnes continued his questioning for quite some time before he finally decided to let Link leave. "Well, it was nice to meet you my boy. I hope to see you soon." He put his hand on Link's shoulder, "Should things not work out where you are going, please feel free to come to the castle. Zelda, please see him off, I have some important things to take care of." He finished, turning back to his desk.

Once outside, Link prepared Epona for the journey to Kakariko. Before mounting the auburn mare, he pulled Zelda into a tight embrace. They stood for a moment just enjoying the silence; "I'll miss you Zel." he whispered into her hair and pulled back slightly to kiss her forehead.

He made a move to get on his horse but Zelda stopped him, "Link, my father and I really meant it when we invited you to stay with us at the castle. I don't want to force you to but please, if things don't work out in Ordon, just come to the castle. Promise?" she pleaded.

"I promise." He said with a nod. Link swiftly mounted his horse and looked down at her with a smile. "See you later then." He said and winked turning and starting down the road.

Zelda smiled back, "Bye!" she called, waving as he grew farther and farther away. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him turn and wink at her though. It made her feel like some silly school girl with a crush. Zelda stood for another ten minutes until Link was just a dark smudge of the horizon. She spun around and headed back inside to ask about the castle's reconstruction.

Link's trip to Kakariko took the rest of that day, but was fairly uneventful. He ran into the occasional monster and such but had no major problems. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by the smiling children. Colin, of course, was overjoyed to see him. The little boy really looked up to Link and Link often thought of him as a brother.

After spending the night in Kakariko, Link hitched Epona up to a carriage and began the journey back to Ordon. Before he left though, he walked through the village in search of the warp portal he had used when with Midna. Colin followed, "What are you looking for?"the boy asked, cheerful as always.

"Something that might help us get home a little faster." Link replied. He still wasn't quite sure if it was still there, with the Twilight being gone and all; but as he turned a corner, he caught a slight glow coming from behind a building. "I knew it!" he exclaimed and took off running.

Colin gave Link a confused look before following him. "What is it?" he asked as he watched his role model stare at the bluish glowing hole. He didn't see what was so special about it.

"It's called a warp portal. I used them to travel during the Twilight and I wasn't quite sure if they were still in this world." Now that Link thought about it, he was starting to think this might be bad. Either not all of the Twilight was gone or somehow, Ganon or Zant were still alive. Both of these options were equally bad. Link put on a fake look of happiness and continued, "This one would get us pretty close to Ordon, and the travel time would be greatly reduced."

Colin nodded, still not quite understanding what Link was talking about and followed him back to Renado's house.

Shortly after getting all the children in the carriage, Link took off through the portal. They arrived on the other side and continued down the path into Ordon. The villagers were caught off guard by their arrival and at first only Uli noticed them. "Link!" she cried, running towards them. "I'm so glad you kids are safe!" She said as she embraced the group. "What happened to you all?" Uli asked.

"Well, it's kind of a long story. " Link replied and began to tell of the recent events. "Throughout my journey, I kind of made friends with the princess."

"Oh my! Is she as pretty as the say?" someone asked as more of the towns folk gathered around.

Link blushed profusely and tried to hide his face. "I- I guess so. Sort of."

"Oooh, Link's in love!" one of the children teased.

Being quite embarrassed and in an attempt to change the subject, Link continued the tale. " After the Twilight was banished, she invited me to stay at her family's old vacation home for the night but then I got sick and ended up staying a few more days." Link told the people the rest of the story, leaving out the parts where he was a wolf of course. After the story was told, he spoke up about the absence of his childhood friend, Ilia. "Where did Ilia go?"

"Oh!" I guess I forgot to tell you. While you were gone, we had a traveler who passed though here. He and Ilia got along well and he offered to let her travel to castle town with him. Other than that we're not sure." Uli said

Link inwardly smiled, his best friend had finally found someone of her own. He couldn't wait to be invited to their wedding. A pang of sadness hit him when he realized that nothing of the sort would be possible for him and Zelda. Even though they both loved each other, and her father was so accepting, surely the people wouldn't tolerate the marriage of a commoner and royalty. They'd claim it would "taint the blood line" or something like that. Link sighed and pushed past the crowd that had gathered and headed back to his old house to settle in for the night.

Wi-Fi blocks are down at school! I can finally post! But my dad still has the internet blocked at home. : (


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